Releasing What Binds You

A mindful body scan, noticing and releasing, expanding and softening with the breath. In this mindful practice of self-attention, we see the things that bind us and gently release their hold. Disentangling their threads to create more ease and freedom in the body, even if only for this moment, this place. A gentle nourishing practice to return to again and again.

Music: Chris Collins

Transcript

Get settled.

Make yourself as comfortable as you can.

Close your eyes and simply notice how you feel right now.

Scan your body and notice if there's any tension anywhere.

Any tightness.

We're not trying to change it,

Simply noticing.

Now bring your attention to the breath.

Begin with noticing the breath around the nostrils.

Feel how it is to draw the breath in through the nose and down the back of the throat into the lungs.

Let this simple act of breathing begin the process of releasing.

Imagine anything that constrains you right now.

Anything in your life,

In your thoughts,

In your emotions,

In your body,

In your memories.

Being allowed to ease,

To release,

Even if just for this moment,

This place.

Making room for you,

Giving you space within and around you.

A space of peace and rest and calm.

Imagine these things as threads unbinding,

Unwinding,

Releasing,

Easing,

Loosening,

Leaving you feeling free and comfortable here and now.

As you sit and breathe,

Listen to the words of this intention.

I release what binds me.

I am open to the flow.

The invitation is to repeat it three times silently to yourself.

I release what binds me.

I am open to the flow.

If another intention arises within you,

A positive statement in the present tense,

Take a moment and repeat that too,

Three times.

As your breath softens and slows,

Imagine these threads of any cares and concerns gently disentangling from you,

Allowing you to move more freely with the movement of your breath.

The muscles of your face beginning to relax.

Your eyes,

Your cheeks,

Your jaw,

Your tongue,

Your neck,

All relaxing,

Releasing,

Softening.

Feeling your shoulders soften,

Your arms resting heavily in your lap,

All effort gone.

Surrendering into this moment,

Allowing the whole body to relax and be at ease.

Letting the breath drift along the arms and elbows and into your wrists,

Hands,

And onto the tips of your fingers.

Noticing your chest expand more fully on the in-breath,

Release more fully on the out-breath.

Feeling the muscles between the ribs stretch a little wider with each inhale.

Relaxing a little more deeply with each exhale.

And again,

A deep inhale,

Filling the ribcage,

Creating elasticity in the muscles,

Creating even more space for the nourishment of the breath.

Drawing the breath deeper into the body.

Coming into the belly now,

Feeling the breath in the belly,

The lower back,

The waist.

Feeling the lower torso of the body like bellows for the breath,

Full and rounded.

Each breath full and rounded.

Sinking deeper.

Noticing now the hips and pelvis.

Imagining,

Sensing,

Feeling the breath deep into the hips and pelvis.

Bringing ease and comfort,

Releasing tension,

Effort,

Constraint.

Simply breathing,

Allowing,

Releasing.

Down into the thighs.

Imagining,

Sensing,

Feeling the breath moving down into the thighs and on into the knees,

The calves,

The shins,

The ankles,

Feet,

And toes.

These parts of the body that carry us,

Carry the weight of us.

Now being filled with the lightness of the breath.

Breathing into the whole body now.

Imagining,

Sensing,

Feeling the whole body gently expanding with the in-breath.

Gently softening with the out-breath.

Releasing anything that binds you.

Notice any sensations in the tips of the fingers,

The tips of the toes.

Any tingling or warmth in the body as the breath moves to the furthest edges of you.

Simply breathing.

Begin to bring movement back into the body.

Allowing yourself to move with the breath.

Wriggling the fingers and toes.

Rolling the shoulders.

Taking a long stretch.

Doing whatever feels most freeing,

Most delicious.

And gently,

Gently,

Gently opening the eyes to a soft downward gaze.

I'll leave you now with a few minutes of music to rest here,

To reflect.

Or to move on into whatever the rest of your day or evening holds.

With so much love.

It has been wonderful to be here with you.

Reviews

I needed this very much and the Universe provided! I am at peace. I am freeing from attachment to things.
Abandoned at birth- I have attached to things. And now I am being made free by letting it go. At 69 years old and my wife and I are no longer safe in Texas after this Nov. 5th Presidential election. We are moving and moving on. I am letting go of all the stuff. I am brave and finally beginning to understand that attachment to things is a thing of the past and not who I am.
I no longer need things to be comforted. I am “attaching” to myself- learning to love myself. Healthy attachment or maybe better to say healthy connection with myself is healing and freeing.
When I began to visit Insight Timer regularly, I would read and hear over and over that “attachment causes suffering” and “all suffering is because of attachment. “

And I have been told I never attached to my mother and this is important because it defines all relationships and my ability to connect or bond.

And that “things or stuff” became my comfort. Have you ever tried to let go of what you are bonded to? That’s not like letting go of something you found pretty or whimsical or picked up as a keepsake on a trip….
Breaking bonds is tough to do, and scary and feels like everything will be lost, I will be LOST. Like if I was an astronaut tethered to the outside of the Space Station and suddenly became “detached” and thus would most likely mean I’d be LOST forever. Lost in the vastness, completely alone, unable to rescue myself, faced with certain death, utter aloneness and abandoned forever.
The terrifying thing / the thing that terrified me is that sense of abandonment. The things, the stuff -it feels like, to let it go is ME doing the abandoning. I feel guilt and a very strong pull to “rescue” the objects I am throwing away?

Leaning into that fear, feeling that terror… this is what I experience, with every start at going through the stuff, and letting some items go. And I admit to attempt after attempt and the ensueing panic and paralysis… and utter failure to make a dent in it all.
And I am not talking about giving away fancy clothes that are out of style, (none of which ever appealed to me) or an expensive tv or sterio or a piece of furniture. I’m talking about letting go of plies of newspapers, saved yogurt containers, old t-shirts and those shoes and rubber garden boots that I have literally glued back together- more than once!

This sounds really nuts! I sound like I’m a sick, crazy person.
There I was, just now, about to go into self shame. I am immediately recognizing this…
And instead:, I choose this statement:

I am loving myself and making ROOM for me to BREATHE.

I am loving myself and making ROOM for me to BREATHE.

I am loving myself and making ROOM for me to BREATHE.

What if the scenario flipped? What if the metaphor of being tethered to the outside of the Space Station is really the opposite? What if it’s me right now, stuck out there, struggling and yes-all alone and yet unable to free myself from being chained to this huge albatross? This huge thing I am attached to is dragging me aimlessly. I am exhausted, frustrated, helpless!
What if the scary, accidental, catastrophic “detachment” -the breaking from and being “cut loose” is actually me choosing to let go of the years and years of accumulated stuff I am finally able to be free of and that the breaking of this bond from the Space Station is what is going to create the rescue?
The healing? The REAL FREEDOM?

Yes! The healing! Yes! The freedom! And YES, the rescue! I am rescued by the cutting of the bond, the binding, the prison that has locked me up, tied me to, trapped me in, SUFFERING! The “stuff” that at one time served to comfort, insulate, and hide me, to keep me safe and help me feel “loved” has now served its twisted purpose. And I no longer need it. I no longer seek this empty loop of hoarding, shaming, hiding and excusing.
I seek to be free! I seek to be present and unencumbered by past baggage.

I breathe and let go. Far from dreading and wringing my hands, I welcome the RELEASE!
I am released. I am releasing all of it and in so doing, I am free!
I am free.

Thank you Henny Flynn. I am very grateful. Thank you for letting me share this, for listening to me. I bless you and send you my love with a thankful heart!♥️

“I release what binds me. I am open to the flow.”

I have done this practice just before bedtime. My shoulders and back were so tense but I feel relaxed now and my mind is at ease.
Thank you. I also really enjoy your voice tone and easy guidance. I feel good...will come back repeatedly. 🤗